You would think this would send up warning flares for Team Obama, but it probably seals the deal for Chuck Hagel.

Iranian state press, Press TV, is praising President Barack Obama’s likely defense nominee as “anti-Israel,” according to a piece published on the propaganda outlet’s website. The piece is titled, “Obama expected to nominate anti-Israel Hagel as secretary of defense.”

The piece begins, “US President Barack Obama is expected to nominate former Senator Chuck Hagel, an outspoken critic of Israel, as the next Pentagon chief.”

Hagel has not yet been officially nominated for the defense secretary position, but all indicators suggest he’s at the top of President Obama’s list.

And, with apparent glee, the piece points out, “Some in the Israeli lobby have reportedly reacted with alarm to reports of Hagel’s nomination as he is known as an outspoken critic of the Zionist lobby in Washington.”

Won’t Obama get a double score with this one? He will tell the masses his second term is one of ‘reaching out to the other side’ (pure political spin, but aren’t most of his public pronouncements?), and he will be able to further put the thumb on Netanyahu to prevent pressuring the U.S. or go it alone.